When the Vibe Is Right by Sarah Dass

Author:Sarah Dass
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2023-03-14T00:00:00+00:00

Fifteen

“Why?” I asked.

His hands trailed down the length of my spine. His touch, soft but firm, pulled me closer. “Because . . .” he said, and his mouth slanted over mine, answering my question with action and stealing the breath from my lungs.

The miracle of his kiss almost brought me to my knees, right in a way that I didn’t know existed, like the secrets of a forbidden fruit that couldn’t be experienced until consumed.

I pulled away panting, breathless, as he proceeded to press fervent kisses along my neck. Impatient, I reached out, pushing the gold half-mask off his face. I already knew who it was, but I needed to see him.

Brandon stared back at me.

I sat up in bed, startled from the dream. The warm sheets had fallen to my waist, exposing my sweat-damp skin to the biting chill of the air conditioner. My heart hammered in my chest, out of control.

“Oh no,” I muttered into the inky darkness of the room.

For the rest of the night, I did not sleep.

Aunty Gloria hummed an upbeat tune as she set a plate of coconut bake slices in the center of the table. That Monday morning, the kitchen was full of light and the scent of breakfast. Steam curled from the warm, doughy surfaces of the bake. Despite the pretty picture they presented, I was not hungry.

“I think something’s wrong with me,” I said.

Aunty Gloria’s song stopped. She wiped her hands on a kitchen towel. “You think you’re catching something, sweetheart?”

“I don’t know. But I don’t think I should go to school today.”

“Then stay away from me.” Hazel reached across the table for a slice of bake and slathered it in butter. “I’ve got my SATs coming up. I can’t get sick now.”

I glared at her. “This is all your fault.”

She’d done this to me. Her novel planted the insidious romantic idea in my head. If she’d never written it, I wouldn’t be having disturbing dreams. And if I hadn’t had any disturbing dreams, I would’ve gotten more than two hours of sleep the night before.

Hazel wrinkled her nose. “What are you talking about? I didn’t give you anything. I feel great.” She pulled the plate of baigan choka closer to her. “Maybe you caught something from Brandon and his friends.”

At the mention of his name, flashes of my dream appeared in my head. I recoiled in a full-body shiver.

“Are you feeling cold?” Aunty Gloria frowned. She pressed the back of her hand against my forehead. “You don’t have a fever.”

That wasn’t surprising, since I strongly suspected my problems were more emotional than biological.

Melissa and Uncle Russell entered the kitchen. Uncle Russell wore his usual expression of bland indifference, but Melissa practically skipped into the room, smiling.

“Good morning, all,” she said.

“Breakfast, Melissa?” Aunty Gloria asked. “We’ve got more than enough.”

“No, thank you, Aunty,” she said. “I just came over to finalize some details with Mr. Russell, then I’ll head back to the camp. I’m actually hoping to finish up early today.”

New boyfriend, Hazel mouthed at me.

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